Four #2
He moved quickly to the kitchen, joining me at my large butcher block table, taking a seat on one of the high stools across from me.
I passed him his food and utensils and asked him what he wanted to drink.
“Do you have orange juice?”
I shot him a look.
“Sorry, some people don’t,” he said, looking down at the open container.
“What people?”
He was laughing as I brought him a glass, set it down beside him and waited.
“What?”
“Try the omelet.”
He had a pained expression on his face.
“I promise you that fake ham will not kill you.”
He whimpered.
“Put it in your mouth.”
When he lifted his head, the smile I got was filthy.
I pointed at his omelet.
The way he lifted his fork, like he was holding something radioactive, was hysterical. When he finally tasted it, he shrugged.
“Well?”
“It’s not as bad as I thought it was gonna be.”
“If you didn’t know it wasn’t real ham, you wouldn’t even notice.”
“Oh, I would know that something was off with it, but it’s edible.”
“Fantastic. That’s what I want on a Yelp review, ‘it’s edible.’”
He chuckled, and we ate in silence for a few minutes.
“Hey, so basically, all that stuff you said about a witch and your land last night was crap, right?”
“Interesting topic change.”
“I’m just thinking about everything, but it was, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Going forward, are you going to be honest with me?”
“I said I would, so yes.”
“Excellent,” he murmured, then put his elbow down on the table, leaned his chin on his fist, and stared at me. “Now, I want to know everything about you, so go ahead and start.”
“First, you said last night that you’d never felt this way before.”
“Which is true. I mean, you and your gorgeous eyes and that hair that just can’t seem to stay put and your scent—all driving me nuts.”
“That’s very honest.”
“Well, if you’re gonna be, then so am I.”
I nodded.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I assumed, when you said you’d never felt the way you were feeling last night, that meant I had sparked something new.”
“And you would be right. I mean, I’ve seen other men and wanted to fuck them, but with you it’s different. I would actually like to know you.”
“That was very straightforward.”
“Again, honesty.”
“Okay.” I nodded.
“Okay what?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. Spit it out.”
“I just thought, when you said all that about never feeling that way, that maybe you meant you’d never felt like that about a man before, so I was wondering.”
The look I got in response made me laugh.
“I’ve been gay my whole life,” he explained. “I’ve only ever been with men and only want to be with men, so clearly, I was referring to having a different feeling for you specifically.”
“Ah.”
“What the hell?”
“Well, come on, how in the world was I supposed to know that?”
After a moment, he shrugged. “Fine. So, what are you doing for Thanksgiving? Narah wanted me to invite you out to the house, and I want you there as well.”
“You don’t dance around things, do you?”
“No.” He held my gaze. “I’m interested in you, Merritt Baker, and I’m fairly certain you feel the same.”
“Attraction means nothing,” I murmured. “Eat your omelet.”
“Attraction is a great jumping-off point,” he countered, smiling at me as he took another few bites. “It can lead to so much more.”
“You’re very good at flirting.”
“I’m not flirting with you; I’m telling you straight up that I want to spend time with you.”
I exhaled sharply. “It’s not a good idea.”
“It’s a great idea, actually, and at Thanksgiving, there’s another pack coming—not to hunt, just to visit and eat and see if maybe there’s an alliance to be made.”
“I’ll pass, but thank you for the invitation.”
“I wouldn’t want you to be alone.”
I scoffed.
“Oh? You’re busy, are you?”
“Last year I went to eight houses.” I shuddered. “I told everyone that was it, that it could absolutely never happen again, and that I could feed my damn self.”
He was smiling at me again.
“What?”
“I brought you food and coffee; maybe I could have a kiss for the effort.”
I squinted at him.
“It’s because you’re out of my league, right? I’m just a lowly contractor, and you already have a beautiful house and a great business, so what do you need me for?”
“That’s not it, and you know it.”
He leaned forward and stared at me. “Who did all this glasswork for you? Because it’s sort of defying the laws of physics just a bit.”
“It is not,” I rumbled. “It’s quite common.”
“Nothing common about any of it. This house had to cost millions, and it’s out here in the middle of nowhere. If an architect had done this, there would be pictures of it everywhere.”
I shrugged.
“Tell me what kind of shifter you are, Merritt Baker.”
“How would that help you in any way?”
“The fact that you won’t tell me says a lot.”
“I’m not a shifter, I promise you.”
He nodded. “Kiss me so I’ll know.”
“No one knows from a kiss.” I chuckled.
“Just kiss me already. We both know you want to.”
“I think you—”
“Please, Merritt. I wanna see you and kiss you and do all kinds of things with you. Mostly I have this incredible urge to hold you down and bite you, hard.”
Between his pheromones, which I could almost taste, the smoky, silky sound of his voice, the dimples, his smile, and the way his eyes were narrowed and fixed on me, the temptation was nearly overwhelming.
But I took a breath instead and said, “I know what you need, and I’m not it.”
He crossed his arms on my table and put his face down on them. “You’re killing me. Do you have any idea what you smell like?”
“I hope something good,” I couldn’t help saying.
“Yep. I got it in my nose last night, and it won’t go away. Your scent is at The Bower as well as here, of course. Did you do that on purpose? Smother me in your pheromones?”
“Only shifters can do that,” I assured him. “Which I am not. And you smell really good yourself, just so you’re aware.”
Instantly, he lifted his head, and there was his grin, wicked and hot. “Oh yeah? You wanna come closer and take a big whiff?”
“Who is the beta of your pack?”
“Weird subject change.”
It wasn’t, though, because as much as I already liked him, was intrigued by him, and very much wanted to know what he tasted like, I was, I knew, not at all what he needed.
“Who’s your beta?” I repeated. “It’s a simple question.”
“We don’t have one.”
“Every pack has one. The beta makes sure everyone follows the rules, and they’re the one you go to before your alpha.”
“Not in our pack. There’s never been one.”
“There was one,” I corrected him. “Abel was your father’s beta.”
“How do you know that?”
“Every pack needs a beta,” I stated.
“That’s up to Abel now, and Justin, someday, when Abel steps aside. It has nothing to do with me.”
“I think it has everything to do with you, which is why I’m no good for you.”
“What’re you—”
“You need a nice wolf to settle down with, because you’re going to need a partner who can help you lead the pack.”
It took a moment for my words to sink in, but when they did, he frowned, which saddened me. I had wanted us to be friends, at least, but my honesty, although he’d said he wanted it, was going to kill all hope of that. “What are you talking about?”
“We both know Abel isn’t fit to lead. There’s no power there. It can’t have escaped your notice that Justin isn’t strong either.”
“He will be when it’s time for him to—”
“I don’t believe for a second that you think Justin will ever make a good alpha.”
“Well, what you believe is of no importance in the area of what Justin can become.”
“Which is fine, but we both know that someday you’re going to have to challenge either Abel or Justin for the pack. And when that time comes, you’ll need a powerful mate to help you with that. Another wolf who can stand at your side.”
He got up then, and I could feel the irritation rolling off him.
“You don’t know anything about me. I don’t want to be the alpha, and no matter what you or Reggie or Fletcher or anyone else says, I’m not about to challenge for control of the pack.
My aunt and uncle, and even my cousin, all of them were very good to me and Evan when we lost our father.
I would never betray them or the home they provided. ”
“It’s not a betrayal if it’s what was always supposed to happen,” I said solemnly. “You also have to think about what’s best for the pack.”
“You have no idea what you’re—”
“You were supposed to be alpha after your father. Abel is a second son, and Justin is his. That’s not the line of the alpha, and why you’re deluding yourself, I have no idea.”
He shook his head and strode over to the front door to put his shoes back on. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“A pack only works if the strongest wolf leads. Period.”
“Did Reggie put you up to this?” He was almost shouting at me. “Or Fletcher? They think just because I wanna fuck you, you’ll be able to talk me into fighting Abel for the pack?”
“You don’t know me, but I would never do that. I’m just telling you what I see.”
“Well, maybe see less. I’m sorry I bothered you,” he said snidely before he spun around, flung the door open, and stomped back down my front steps, leaving the door ajar.
My first impulse, even though he was angry, was to follow and beg him to come back. It wasn’t at all like me, which was confusing. But I resisted, because this fight about the truth was inevitable. The Swann Pack needed Cole to be alpha. Just being around them all for a short time, it was obvious.